The invention relates generally to a system and method for manufacturing a vehicle interior component having an embedded radio frequency identification tag.
Vehicle seating typically includes a seat bottom and a seat back to support a driver or passenger. In certain seating configurations, both the seat bottom and seat back include a rigid chassis, cushions, and a fabric covering. The cushions are coupled to the rigid chassis, and the fabric covering is disposed about the assembly. The rigid chassis of the seat bottom serves to support the weight (i.e., vertical load) of the occupant, and couples the seat to a floor of the vehicle. Further, the seat cushions provide padding that enhances the comfort of the occupant.
Certain interior components, such as seat cushions, are constructed by injecting an expandable liquid into a mold to form a foam cushion having the shape of the mold cavity. A variety of expandable liquids may be used to create cushions having different firmnesses and/or weights. In addition, different mold cavities may be employed to form cushions having different shapes. Accordingly, identification of individual components throughout the manufacturing process, as well as during post-production maintenance of components within the vehicle, is desirable to facilitate differentiation of similar components. For example, a bar code tag may be coupled to certain cushions to facilitate identification of the cushion with a bar code reader. Unfortunately, the process of attaching bar code tags to vehicle components is time-consuming, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost of the components. In addition, bar code tags may be obscured or blocked by other interior components, thereby increasing the difficulty associated with identifying an installed component.